The hit reality television show on MTV since 2009, ‘Teen Mom’, sends the message, “If I get pregnant at sixteen, I can be on television.” According to an article in the Huffington Post  lifestyle section printed on October 24, 2010, ‘Teen Mom’ stars earn anywhere from $60,000 to $65,000 per season. Does this send teens the right message? The answer is no.

Teenage pregnancy brings with it substantial struggle and sacrifice, which is not shown to its true extent on the screen. While in most situations, things turn out alright for teenage mothers, they often are not able to do all that they once wished. Most young people have enormous future plans for themselves. For example, most children have dreamed of becoming the president of the United States or a firefighter or a ballerina or a famous actor/actress at some point in their lives. Well, these would be nearly impossible to achieve if they were burdened with a child when they were still a child themselves. And would it be the best for the child?

According to The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, it would not. A fact sheet posted by The Planned Parenthood Federation of America states that teen mothers “are more likely to drop out of high school and live in poverty and their children frequently experience health and developmental problems.” This results in a difficult and often unbearable life for both the mother and child.   

The series ‘Teen Mom’ is a spin-off on the show ’16 and Pregnant’ and showcases the lives of four teenagers throughout their first year of motherhood. 

For ‘Teen Mom’ star, Amber Portwood, the burdens of teen motherhood and pregnancy have taken its toll. Recently, Portwood was brought to a medical facility to be treated for severe depression after attempting to end her own life. Since the incident, there has been much debate on whether Portwood is stable enough to take care of her daughter, Leah. According to a CNN article by Lesley Messer, Portwood “was diagnosed with bipolar disorder [in 2008], after a particularly depressing time.” Messer explains that Bipolar disorder is “characterized by dramatic shifts in mood.” The question is, is this best for Leah? Is living with a mother who attempted suicide and who is emotionally unstable even safe? Also, why does a reality television series that millions of teenagers watch each week glamorize Portwood’s life?

Specifically, according to an article printed on October 14, 2010 by Kyla C. Grant for ABC News, over “three million young people tune in to “Teen Mom” every week”, which makes “it MTV’s highest-rated show.”

While some teen pregnancies will inevitably happen in unfortunate cases, they ought to not be promoted. The cash incentive provided by television shows such as ‘Teen Mom’ makes it seem desirable to have a child at an unusually young age when they are not yet ready to do so. As previously noted, ‘Teen Mom’ stars earn more money than most other adults, making it seem beneficial to become a teenage mother.

The current downward trend in teen pregnancies needs to be maintained and reduced to almost nonexistent. A page by Julie Wirkus of the Northern Illinois University notes that teen pregnancy rates have lowered considerably over the last decade, but unfortunately, “The United States [still] has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and birth of the industrial world.”